Granted, a large crane looks impressive. I even got the chance once to try throwing a dragline bucket in exchange for letting the operator run my swabbing machine........ we both chickened out.
But a GOOD backhoe operator can be moving the hell out of dirt and "feel" a plastic line in time to avoid cutting it. It takes a LOOOOng time to develope that level of expertise.
I met a guy in Benoit, Ms. who had his own backhoe business and filled in for a local Ag Pilot flying a turbine powered Air Tractor.
He said the backhoe took longer to learn.
